When the Levee Breaks
by WaywardDaughter18
Summary: Becka Fraser and Sam Winchester were friends while attending Stanford. She had a fling with his brother Dean. Four years later, she is raising their daughter on her own. When Dean tells her that they may be in danger, Becka and her daughter leave their lives and go with the Winchester brothers, and they all have to adjust to being together and their changing relationships.
1. Chapter 1

SUMMARY: Becka Fraser and Sam Winchester were friends while attending Stanford. She had a fling with his brother Dean. Four years later, she is raising their daughter on her own. When Dean tells her that they may be in danger, Becka and her daughter leave their lives and go with the Winchester brothers, and they all have to adjust to being together and their changing relationships.

Some AU, some canon

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I walked up to the front desk at the preschool and said, "Hi, Patti. How are you today?"

"Hey, Becka." she looked down at the clipboard on the counter. "Emily's father already picked her up."

"What?!" I said. "When?"

"Umm...about 2 hours ago."

I felt angry. He didn't tell me he was coming into town. We had an agreement that he would let me know beforehand and I would have everything packed up and ready to go so he could take Emily and there would be as little interaction between us as possible. And he had _never_ picked her up from school before. The _nerve_ of this guy!

I took a deep breath. "Thanks, have a good weekend."

There was no reason to get mad at Patti, the school had no idea of the history between me and Emily's father.

I walked back out to my car and got in, slamming the door.

I pulled out my cell phone and scrolled through to find the phone number that I rarely called.

It rang a couple times and then was picked up. "Yeah?"

"Dean Winchester, _where_ did you take my daughter and what the _hell_ are you doing?" I yelled.

"Whoa, easy." he said, and I could imagine him holding the phone away from his ear.

"Where are you, Becka?"

I could hear Emily's high-pitched voice talking in the background.

"You answer my questions first!" I snapped.

"Okay, look...we need to talk." he said hesitantly.

"Oh God, not the 'we need to talk' speech." I ran my hand through my hair and rolled my eyes. "What now?"

"Look, this is important." His voice got quieter and I heard sounds like he was walking. It got quiet in the background.

"You and Em need to come with us for a while, lay low."

"Dean, what the hell?" He was the last person I wanted to see, let alone "lay low" with.

"Come over to the hotel and I'll explain." he said.

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Fifteen minutes later I was pulling into the parking lot of a seedy motel on the edge of town. I got out of the car, walking past Dean's black Impala, and knocked on the door of room 15. It opened and there he stood, still tall, with the same short brown hair and clear green eyes, except now there was no flirtatious smirk on his face like he used to get when he saw me.

"Hey." he stepped back and opened the door wide to let me in. I walked into the room.

Emily was sitting next to her uncle, Sam Winchester, who is one of the tallest men I've ever met. They were on the sofa, leaning over the coffee table, coloring with crayons together.

Emily looked up. "Mommy!" She called, and smiled at me. "Daddy an' Unca Sam bwinged me some colowing books!" She held up a coloring book with brightly colored ponies in the front cover.

I walked over to her and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "That's great, honey. How was school today?" I asked her.

"Good." she said. "I painted today!"

"Awesome, I can't wait to see it." I told her.

Sam looked up at me. "Hey, Becka." He smiled warmly at me.

"Hey, Sam." I said back.

I looked around and saw the McDonald's bags on the small table across the room.

"A Happy Meal? Really, Dean?" I asked tightly. I tried really hard to feed Emily healthy food.

He flushed a little bit. "I think it's okay to get my kid a treat every once in a while." he said in a defensive tone.

"Fine." I said curtly. "What's this about, anyway?"

He motioned me to follow him and led me across the room to the small kitchen area. "There are some...people that I've pissed off, and they may be looking for Emily and by extension, you, to use against me." He told me in a low voice.

"You've pissed people off? I can't imagine." I said sarcastically. Dean was not known for his people skills unless it was a hot girls' pants that he wanted to get into.

"Well, not people. Demons." he said uneasily, glancing at me.

"Demons?" I said, louder than I intended. Emily and Sam stopped talking across the room and looked at us for a moment.

"What in the world have you been getting into?" I asked him.

"It's a case that I'm...helping someone with." he said slowly. "I want you and Emily to come with me and Sam, we've got a place where you can stay for a while, until we get things dealt with."

"Wait, what? I'm supposed to just pick up and leave and go with you somewhere? What about my job? What about Emily's school?"

"You can find another job and put her in another school." he said seriously.

"That's not going to be easy, I can't just hustle pool games like you!" I snapped.

"We can figure that out later. Right now my main priority is getting you two to a safe place."

I sighed. "Fine. Where and when are we going?"

He raised his eyebrows. "What? That's it? You're not going to fight me more?"

"Well, if you say that we're in danger, I believe you. I don't want to risk putting my daughter in harm's way."

Relief flooded his face, and he put his hand on my shoulder for a moment. "Becka, that's great. I'm so relieved."

"Okay, let's not get all emotional." I said. "What's the game plan?"

Dean looked across the room at his brother. "Sam, it's a go." he said, giving a thumbs up.

Sam smiled. "Oh good. I'm glad you didn't have a hard time convincing her."

I scoffed.

Sam raised his eyebrow at me. "I know how you are, Becka Fraser. You are _notorious_ for giving people a hard time!" He grinned at me, and I couldn't help but grin back.

Sam and I have a history together. I met him when he was at Stanford- I was going there too, and I was friends with his girlfriend, Jess. Then I met his brother, Dean, and we got into a relationship. I ended up pregnant. I knew just from the short amount of time that I was with Dean that he wasn't the committment type of guy, so I absolved him of any responsibility. He tried to be there for me, as much as I let him, but I was pretty prickly during the pregnancy. I didn't want to come to rely on him when I knew I'd probably end up alone after the baby was born.

Dean wasn't around much during Emily's first year. I think babies scare him. When she got to be about one year old, he started to come around and visit, and then he started taking her on overnights and finally on weekend visits. Last summer she had spent a week with him. Now that she's four, she finally gets it that she has a father, and he calls her once a week or so and they talk for a few minutes.

Sam stood up and walked over to us. "Do you want to take Becka to her place to pack up some stuff?"

"Uh-" Dean looked uncomfortable. "Sure, I guess."

"Stuff? How much stuff?" I looked back and forth at them.

"Like, clothing and toys and important papers. You may not be able to come back." Sam said.

"Oh God." I felt nervous for the first time, realizing that this was a big change.

I sighed. "Okay, we might as well get this show on the road."

I walked over to Emily and leaned down and hugged her. "I have to go somewhere with your Dad for a little bit, so you're going to stay here with your Uncle Sam for now."

"Okay!" She said happily. I'm lucky that I have such a happy, easy going kid.

I turned to Dean, who had come over to stand near me.

"Okay, let's go." I said. Dean walked around me and leaned down to hug Emily. "I'll be back in a little while, Emmy-pie." he said.

She giggled." 'Kay Daddy. See you soon!"

I gave Dean a funny look as he straightened up. "Emmy-pie?" I asked.

He looked a little embarassed. "It makes her laugh. We both like pie, you know?"

"Yes, I know." I said, giving him another look. I still remembered that day he had brought her back to me, with blueberry pie filling smeared all over her shirt and face, and her babbling excitedly about pie. It was one of her first words, and Dean taught it to her.

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I followed him outside. He took out his keys.

"Oh, are we going in your car?" I asked.

"Might as well, I've got more room." he said. He opened the passenger door for me and I got in. The car still made the same squeaks and groans that it had always made, and it still smelled the same- like leather, and a faint scent of pine trees, and Old Spice.

"You still in the same place?" he glanced at me as he pulled into traffic.

"Yep." I said.

We were silent for a few minutes.

"Emily can write her name now." Dean said with pride in his voice.

"Yeah, and she's starting to learn to read too."

He glanced at me. "She's a smart kid."

"Yes, she is." I agreed.

"She reminds me a lot of Sam when he was her age."

I laughed. "I can't imagine him as a little kid."

"Yeah, he _was_ little once. Used to be shorter than me and everything." We both laughed at that.

He pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex where I lived and followed me to the door. As I was getting out my keys, Mr. Townsend, the manager, came up to me.

"That fella of yours was hangin round again, lookin for you, what's his name?"

"Roger?" I said with annoyance.

"Yeah, that's him." he looked at me.

"He's not my fella." I told him. "I hope you told him to get lost."

"Well, I did tell him there's no loiterin here."

"Good."

I opened my door and Dean followed me in.

"Roger?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, this guy I was seeing. Not for too long, he was a jerk. He thinks we still have something." I put my keys and purse down and walked over to the closet.

"I'll pack Emily's stuff up first." I said. I got out the suitcases and Dean took two of them from me.

"Can I do something to help?" he asked.

"Um, you can take all the paperwork out of the safe and pack it up. And those photo albums on the shelf there." I walked over to the kitchen. "There's a couple cardboard boxes over there." I pointed to the corner.

I carried a suitcase into Emily's bedroom and started to sort and pack her clothing. In a few minutes, Dean walked in and stood just inside the door. He glanced around the room and walked over to her dresser. There were some framed photographs on the dresser. He picked up one of Emily and him from her second birthday party.

"I didn't know you did this." he said, holding up the frame. He put it down and picked up another frame that had a photo of him, Emily, and Sam, that I had taken when we had met at a park for an afternoon last summer.

"I wanted her to have some pictures of you guys." I said.

"That was nice of you." he smiled briefly. Then he looked around. "Anything I can do here?"

"Um, I was going to say, pack some toys and books, but I know the stuff she's been playing with right now. I'll get to it in a minute."

He walked over and sat down on her bed. "Whoa, this is low to the ground."

"Yeah, it's a toddler bed, I haven't been able to buy her a twin bed yet."

He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees."You can always ask me for help if you need something."

"I told you before that I wasn't going to expect child support or anything. I'm fine." I said stiffly.

"Well, if you need something, ask me. If I can help you out, I will. I'd be more than happy to buy Emily a bed."

I stood up. "Fine."

He sat up and looked up at me. "What? Why are you all offended now?"

"Dean, don't start acting like you care all of a sudden, okay?" I glared at him. "Your contact with Emily has been minimal at best and it's probably for the best that we keep it that way. I _don't_ , and _won't_ , need any help from you!"

He stood up, his green eyes flashing angrily. "Jesus, are you pregnant again? You haven't been this bitchy since you were in the third trimester!"

"Go to hell, Dean Winchester!" I stormed out of the bedroom and went into my own room. I started to go through my drawers and take clothing out that I was going to pack.

I walked back out to the living room to get another suitcase. Dean was in the kitchen, leaning down and looking into the refrigerator.

"Got any beer?"

"You know I don't drink that stuff. There might be some hard cider on the bottom shelf."

"Hard cider?" he reached in and took something out, then stood up and held up a bottle of Hornsby's Green Apple cider. He raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah, I like it." I said defensively.

"Well aren't you all grown up now." It had been a joke between him and me and Sam about how young I looked and how I didn't like to drink beer. I had never liked the taste.

"Shut up, Winchester."

He opened the bottle and took a swig, raising his eyebrows. "Mm, it's okay." He said uncertainly. He sighed and looked at me. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you before."

"Don't worry about it-"

"Well, we're going to be staying in close quarters for a while, the last thing I want to do it piss you off." he said. "Really, I'm sorry. I won't bring it up again, okay?"

"Okay." I turned and took the suitcase into my bedroom. I packed up my clothes and jewelry, and then went into the bathroom to pack our toothbrushes and other toiletries. I carried the suitcases out to the livingroom. Dean stood up and hurried over to take the big one from me.

"Are there any more?"

"Not yet. I'm going to pack some of Emily's toys and books now."

He followed me back into her bedroom and leaned on the door jamb, drinking the bottle of cider. I sat down on the floor in front of her shelf and started to pick through the books. I made a pile of her current favorites.

"Can you bring in another cardboard box for me?" I turned to Dean and asked him.

"Sure." he left the room for a minute.

He brought the other box in and set it down next to me. I put the stack of books in it and then started to put some toys in.

"She still enjoying going to school?" he asked.

"Yeah, she loves it. She's made some friends, and she loves the teachers."

"Good."

I stood up and leaned back, stretching my back. I walked over to her closet. "Should I bring her sleeping bag or anything?"

"No, I bought her one a few months ago." he said.

"You did?" I looked at him.

"Yeah, she asked me for one, so I got her one."

"She already has one here." I frowned.

"She specifically wanted a Hello Kitty one."

"Oh, that little booger. Was this back in February?"

He looked up, counting back the months. "Yeah, I think so. Why?"

"She went to a slumber party and couldn't stop talking about the birthday girls' Hello Kitty sleeping bag. I had just bought her this one, and she didn't want to use it after that!"

He grinned at me. "Four years old, and our daughter is already playing us!"

"Well, look who her father is." I said. "World's biggest player."

"Hey, I behave myself when I'm with her." he told me, standing up straight.

"Good, you'd better. Because if she learns any bad behaviors from you, you're going to answer to me, Winchester."

"Ooh, I'm scared." he said jokingly. For a second, it felt like old times, when we were together and would fall into the easy banter of two people who knew each other well and were comfortable with each other.

I closed the closet door and turned around. He was staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

He looked down at the floor, blushing a little bit. "Nothing." he shook his head.

"Can you get the box of her stuff?" I asked, and walked out of the room.

I walked through the apartment, looking around for anything else I thought we might need. I grabbed a couple of her blankets and pillow, and stuffed animals. Dean got a plastic bag and loaded it up with DVDs.

"Why?"

"So that Emily will have something to watch."

"Okay, fine."

I packed a bunch of snacks from the kitchen and a bag full of craft supplies.

"I think that's it." I said. I looked around, not able to believe that I was leaving everything.

Dean's phone rang. He looked at it. "It's Sam."

"Hey," he answered. "Yeah, we're about to leave. Okay, get her ready, and we'll go as soon as we get there. Yeah, bye." he hung up and looked at me. "Emily's hungry, and getting cranky."

"Let's go then." I said. We carried the rest of the stuff out to the car, and got in.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam was snuggling Emily in his arms when we walked into the hotel room. She had tears on her cheeks.

"What's wrong, baby?" I asked her, reaching for her. She leaned forward and came into my arms.

"I'm hungwy, Mommy!"

"I've got some snacks in the car." I told her, wiping the tears off of her face.

"We're going to go eat now, won't it ruin her appetite?" Dean asked.

"No, once it's gotten to the point of tears, she needs food right now." I said. "It'll be okay if she has a granola bar or something."

"Yeah, this kids' got the hangries." Sam said. "Like mother, like daughter, huh?" he squeezed my shoulder and smiled at me. I was surprised he remembered that.

"What?" Dean looked back and forth from Sam to me.

"Bex used to always carry food around with her in case she got hungry. It got to the point where Jess always had food in her backpack too, just in case." Sam grinned at the memory. "You didn't want to be in her way when she got the hangries, either. She'd blow you right out of the water!" He looked at me and said, 'I'll never forget that security guard's face when you yelled at him that you needed to eat now and not later or you were going to do something you would regret. He looked so scared!"

He laughed, and I started laughing too.

"Oh God, I forgot about that." I said." It's hard to remember things that happen when you get hangry." I glanced at Dean. He was watching us with an unreadable expression on his face.

"I always forget that you two knew each other...before." he said quietly.

"Yeah, we did." I said. "Let's get your jacket, Em."

We walked out the the Impala and I got in the back with Emily.

We drove to an upscale diner, not the one where I work, thank goodness. The waitress seated us and put a paper place mat down for Emily and a small box of crayons.

"Fank you." she said.

"Such nice manners!" The waitress said.

"What do you want, Emily?" I asked her, opening the menu.

"You gonna have a cheeseburger and fries like me?" Dean leaned across the table and tweaked her nose, smiling at her.

"No, Daddy. I want mac an' cheese."

I sighed. "Okay, but I want you to eat a vegetable too."

"Can I have cawwot sticks?"

"I don't think they have them. I can ask." I told her.

"I'm going to get a salad." Sam said. "Will you help me eat it, Ems?"

She wrinkled her nose. "I don't wike sawad, Unca Sam."

"Well, if there's carrots or cucumbers in it, you can have them, okay?"

Her face brightened. "Okay!"

The waitress came back to get our orders.

"Could I get some sliced cucumbers for her, or carrot sticks?" I looked up at the waitress.

"Just cucumbers? We slice them for the salad. The carrots are shredded."

"Yes, just cucumbers."

"And dippy too, pease." Emily piped up.

The waitress looked at me. "What'd she say?"

"Ranch dressing. Also known as white dippy." I told her.

She chuckled. "My niece and nephew love that stuff too. What is it with kids and Ranch dressing?"

"At least it gets them to eat their veggies, right?" I smiled at her, and she laughed again.

We ordered our food and then she brought our drinks. A minute later, Emily spilled hers. I got up and ran to the counter to grab a handful of napkins.

"Becka." I heard a familiar voice behind me.

I turned. "Roger." I said coolly. He was standing right behind me.

"Excuse me." I said. "I need to get back to my table."

He stepped closer, looming over me. "Why haven't you returned my phone calls?"

"Because, Roger, I told you, it's over. There's nothing between us."

I tried to step around him and he grabbed my upper arm. "I've been _waiting_ for you to call me _back!_ " he said in an angry voice.

"Hey, _pal,_ you need to let go of her and move along." Dean stood there in front of us, his green eyes flashing angrily at Roger.

"Who the fuck is _this?_ " Roger's grip tightened. "Your new boyfriend?"

"Roger, let go. You're hurting me!" I exclaimed. He pulled hard on my arm.

"You heard her!" Dean stepped closer.

"Yeah? What the fuck are you gonna do about it, pretty boy?" Roger sneered.

Sam came over and stood next to Dean, looking threatening. "Do you need some help, Becka?" he asked, anger making his deep voice deeper. He crossed his arms and glared.

Roger looked at Dean and then Sam.

"Buddy, get outta here. Nobody uses that kind of language in our restaurant." The manager stood there, looking angry.

Roger pushed me forward, letting go of my arm. I stumbled into Dean and he put his arms up as I fell forward into his chest. My face was against his flannel shirt for a moment. He put his arms around me and grabbed onto me so I didn't fall, and for a moment our faces were close to each other. I got my footing and stood up.

A tall, large chef came around the counter, brandishing a huge spatula, and began to herd Roger out the door. He let out a string of curses as he left, slamming his fists into the doors. The chef came back inside and stood there with his hands on his hips for a moment, and a couple of people clapped. He nodded and went behind the counter.

Dean let go of me, but we were still standing close to each other. He looked down at me.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I could smell the familiar scent of his aftershave.

"Yeah." I let out a shaky breath.

The three of us turned and walked back to the table.

Emily was standing up in the booth, fear on her face. "Mommy, you said he wasn't gonna bovver us no more!" She burst into tears.

I picked her up. "I know, sweetie, I'm sorry. He won't hurt you, I promise." I hugged her tightly.

" _Did he hurt her_?" Dean's question was angry.

"No, he hurted Mommy!" Emily told him. "He _hitted_ her!"

"He... _hit_ you?" Dean sounded just as angry. He looked at me, frowning.

"It's in the past." I said.

"If I come across that dickhead again, I'm gonna kick his ass." Dean said.

"Language!" I scolded.

"Daddy, don't be mad!" Emily sobbed.

"I'm not mad at you, Emily." he told her. "Or your mom."

"Don't wet him hurt you again, Mommy." She curled into me.

"I won't, baby." I said, and the stress got to me. I started crying.

I felt arms going around me. Dean put his hand on the back of my head, stroking my hair. Emily grabbed onto his flannel shirt. A moment later, Sam came over and put his arms around us too. We stood there like that for a few moments and I tried to make myself relax.

Someone cleared their throat. We let go and Sam and Dean turned.

The manager stood there. "I just wanted to say I'm so sorry that happened. We normally don't let people like that in here. I'm going to comp your meals, and I think that this young lady needs some ice cream after her meal."

"Yeah!" Emily perked up at the mention of ice cream.

"Thank you." Dean and Sam said.

"Thanks." I said to him. "I'm sorry."

The manager shook his head. "Not your fault. Do you want me to call the police so you can file a report?"

"No thank you, hopefully he's gone." I said.

"Are you sure?" Dean asked, looking in my eyes carefully.

"Yeah, I'm sure." I said. "Let's sit down."

We sat back down in the booth and a moment later, the waitress was bringing our food. I found that I wasn't very hungry. Now that the confrontation was over, I felt jittery, but I hid it.

Emily recovered quickly and chattered to Dean and Sam about what she was learning at school and art projects she had done.

"Eat some more, please." I said to her. "You're going to have all night to talk to your Dad and Uncle."

She looked up at me. "I am?"

I looked across the table at them.

"Uh, yeah, Emily, we're going to spend some time together." Dean said.

"Like a bacation?" she asked. Then she perked up. "Can we go to Disneywand?"

All 3 of us chuckled. "Not quite, baby." I said. "We'd have to save up a lot of money for a long time to be able to afford that."

"We're going to go visit with your Uncle Bobby and you'll get to see Poppa John." Dean told her.

"Yay!" she clapped her hands. "Can I help you fix your car again?"

"Uh, sure, if she needs it." Dean said uneasily, looking at me.

I crossed my arms, frowning at Dean. "Who is Uncle Bobby? And Poppa John? And did you _really_ let her fix your car?"

"When I had her for a week last year, we stopped by a friend's place. Bobby is a family friend, and Poppa John is our Dad." Dean explained, glancing at Sam.

"She met your father and you didn't think to tell me? Isn't he like an ex-marine or something?" I had an image of a tall, stern, forbidding, grizzled old man.

"Yeah, he is, but he's okay." Dean said.

"And he was really taken with Emily." Sam said.

"Oh _really?_ " I covered my uneasiness with anger.

"Becka, calm down. It was fine." Dean said.

"Don't patronize me, Dean!" my voice raised. I was _very_ cautious about my daughter being around men that I didn't know.

He raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It won't happen again."

"Bobby and our Dad are both good guys." Sam said to me. "Seriously. We wouldn't have brought Ems around them if they weren't."

I looked at him and sighed. "Okay, Sam."

I turned to Emily. "Did you like meeting Uncle...Bobby? And your grandfather?"

She nodded. "Yeah! Unca Bobby is funny, he calls Daddy an' Unca Sam idjits!" she laughed. "He makes pancakes wif weal buttermilk, an' he letted me pour the batter an' fwip some of them!" She looked up at me proudly. "We gotta make pancakes together some time, Mommy."

"Okay, sweetie." I said, feeling guilty. I worked at a diner, the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was stand at a stove and supervise a 4 year old while cooking.

"Poppa John is wike a big teddy. He has a scwatchy beard! An he singed to me at bedtime, wike you do, Mommy."

"He did?" Both Dean and Sam said at the same time. They glanced at each other.

"What did he sing?" Dean asked her.

"I can't 'member." she said. "Oh wait, it went 'na, na na, na na na na' wike that." She sang the refrain from "Hey Jude" by the Beatles.

Dean and Sam glanced at each other again. "I'll be damned." Dean said under his breath. He looked sad for a brief moment, and then rubbed his hand over his face.

Sam chuckled. "The old man must be getting soft, Dean. He never sang to us at bedtime."

"You got that right." Dean said, chuckling with him.

Just then there was a huge crash from the kitchen and a tinkling sound of glass breaking and someone whooped. I jumped at the sound, startled, and felt my heart start pounding. Tears came to my eyes.

"Whoa." Dean said, looking at me. He reached across the table and took my hand. "You okay, Becka?"

"Um, yeah, I'll be-" Tears started to run down my face. "Excuse me." I got up and ran to the bathroom.

I stood at the sink, grabbing onto the hard sides, and let myself cry and shake for a few moments. Then I took a couple of deep breaths and splashed cold water on my face. I dried my face off with a scratchy paper towel and left the bathroom.

Dean was standing by the door. "Hey." he said, his face concerned. "What's going on with you?" He leaned close to me, his green eyes searching mine. "How badly did that guy hurt you?"

I closed my eyes and shook my head. "Dean, it happened, just let it go." I opened them and looked at him.

"I can't just let it go." he said. "You're as jumpy as a cat in a roomful of rocking chairs, and my daughter is saying that he hit you. Obviously it did a number on you. You're... the mother of my child, and...and it worries me to see you like this."

I sighed. "Well, don't." I said.

"Can you not do this?" he asked.

"Do what?" I said.

"Push me away? Right now you need someone to be there for you—don't put up your wall and act like nothing's wrong like you usually do."

I glared at him. "You think you know me so well-"

"I _do_. You haven't changed that much since we were together. You need to deal with this _now_ , so it doesn't keep getting worse down the road."

"What am I supposed to do? I can't afford therapy or anything-"

"I'm expressing concern for you, okay? Let me. I know I haven't been very reliable in the past, and you really didn't want me around, but I'm here now, and we're going to be part of each other's lives for a while. So let me help you, I'm offering. Let down your walls a little and see if maybe you can let yourself trust me a little." His eyes were searching mine again, and he looked at me earnestly.

"Trust is for sissies." I said, trying to make a joke.

"Is that an attitude you want our daughter growing up with?' He asked in a quiet voice, and that made me start to cry again.

He took me in his arms and held me while I sobbed into his flannel shirt. When I pulled away there was a wet spot in the blue plaid.

"Sorry." I sniffled. He reached up and blotted the tears on my face with the cuff of his shirt.

"It's okay." he said. He smiled down at me.

"Let me go wash my face off again." I said. I stepped in the bathroom and wiped my face off, and then we walked back to the table together. He put his hand on the small of my back as we walked together.

Sam was drawing on the paper placemat with Emily. They both looked up when we sat down.

"Daddy, they have pie!" Emily said.

"You don't want ice cream?" I asked her.

"I'm gettin' ice cweam _wif_ pie!" she told me triumphantly.

"Oh really?" I looked at Sam.

"At this point I think the waitress would give her anything she wanted." Sam said.

The waitress walked over with a tray and proceeded to put a plate with a slice of pie and a scoop of ice cream down in front of each of us.

"Courtesy of the kitchen staff." She told us with a wink. "Y'all are so brave."

We thanked her, and Emily started eating right away. I picked at my pie and ate a little bit of it.

"You didn't eat very much." Sam said to me. "You feeling okay?"

"It's just nerves, I guess." I sighed, and it sounded shaky. "I'll be fine."

He watched me for a moment, then started eating.

Almost as soon as Emily finished her pie, her eyelids started drooping. I picked her up and held her. Sam put a tip on the table, and then we walked out of the restaurant. Emily was dozing in my arms as we walked across the parking lot.

A figure walked out of the shadows. It was Roger, but he looked different. He stepped forward quickly and grabbed me. "You're coming with me, bitch."

Emily woke up with a start and stared at him. Then she screamed. I realized what was wrong with Roger.

His eyes were dark, bottomless pools of black.


	3. Chapter 3

"Two instead of one." Roger laughed in a evil-sounding way.

Just then he jerked upright and opened his mouth. The bloody tip of a silver blade appeeared in the middle of his chest.

"Close your eyes!" Dean shouted, standing behind Roger. "Emily don't look!"

I closed my eyes and covered Emily's face with my hand. I heard Roger make an awful sound, and I felt hands on my arms.

Sam said, "I've got you, come on." I felt him walking us forward. Emily was whimpering and squirming in my arms.

"You can open your eyes." he told me, and we were at the car.

"What the hell was that?" I asked him.

Dean came running over. "A demon." he said, panting. "We need to get the hell out of dodge, like _now_." We got in the car and they sped back to their hotel. Sam ran in and packed their stuff while Dean waited in the car with us, engine running. Sam came rushing out and got in the car and Dean threw it in gear.

Emily was still crying and shaking in my arms, she wouldn't let go of me so I could put her in her car seat.

"Shh, baby, it's okay." I soothed her.

"Mommy, what was wong wif him? Why'd his eyes wook wike dat?"

"Dammit!" Dean swore in the front seat. "God- _dammit!_ " He slammed his hand on the steering wheel.

"What?" Sam asked him.

"I didn't want my kid exposed to this! This God-damned circus we call our life!" Dean yelled, and that made Emily cry harder.

"Dean, calm down." I said.

"I _can't_ calm down!" He shouted. "My kid was just face to face with a demon!"

"Daddy don't shout, you scawin' me." Emily said in a small voice.

Dean's shoulders slumped. He pulled over onto a side street and parked, then unbuckled his seatbelt and turned back toward us.

"Emily, I'm sorry." he said sincerely. He reached out and cupped her face with his hand. "I didn't mean to upset you. You're okay, you're safe with us."

"Okay Daddy." she sniffled.

"You need to let your mom put you in your car seat now, okay? We're going to be on the highway, and you gotta be buckled in or else the police will stop us and I'll get into trouble."

"Okay." she agreed. I buckled her in and she reached for my hand.

"Dean, before you go, can I get something out of the trunk?"

"Sure, what is it?" He got out of the car and walked around the back with me.

"Her blankie and bear." I said. I got out her soft blanket and a pillow too.

I got into the back and handed her the blanket and bear. "Here's Lamby and Jethro." I said.

"Lamby and ...Jethro?" Dean asked, turning back towards us again.

"Yeah, Lamby is the blanket with the lamb on it that she got when she was a baby. And Jethro is the bear you bought her earlier in the year." I told him.

"Jethro?" Sam asked, looking at Emily.

"Yeah, 'cause Daddy wikes dat singing guy, Jeffro Tull." Emily explained in a matter-of-fact voice.

Dean and Sam started to laugh hard.

"Guys, it's not that funny." I said.

"Yeah it is!" Dean wiped his eyes. "My daughter named her stuffed bear after a classic rock band." He held up his hands to her. "Double high-five, kid!" She high fived him and they grinned at each other.

Dean turned around and put the car in gear. We drove for a long time. I held Emily's hand and watched as she fell asleep. Sam and Dean talked quietly in the front seat.

"Becka." I felt someone shaking my shoulder. "Wake up, we're at the hotel."

I opened my eyes and looked over. Dean had opened the back door on Emily's side and was easing her out of her car seat. She woke up briefly as he lifted her, and he said, 'Shh, Daddy's here, I got ya, baby girl." I briefly remembered that there were times that Dean had called me that, usually when I had been upset and he was comforting me.

Sam walked over to the car holding a couple of keys.

I opened the door and got out.

"We're over here." he said. I followed him and Dean over to a room and we walked in. There were two queen sized beds. Dean walked over and laid Emily down on one.

She woke up as he tried to put her down, and clutched at him. " Daddy, stay."

"I've got to bring in the bags, Em." he told her. She fisted his shirt with both hands and made a whimpering sound.

"You want my shirt?" He stood up, holding her, and unbuttoned his flannel shirt, then took it off and handed it to her. She pulled it into her arms and snuggled it like it was a blanket. He laid her down on the bed and in seconds she was fast asleep.

I pulled the covers down and tucked her in, then got in bed next to her. She rolled over close to me. I could smell Dean's smell on his shirt.

Emily woke up crying in the middle of the night. I sat up and held her to me, comforting her. The room was mostly dark. Dean came over and sat on the opposite side of the bed. He put his hand on her back. "You okay, Emily?" he asked quietly.

"Don't want bad man to get us." she whimpered.

"He won't." Dean reassured her. "You've got me and Uncle Sam and your mom here to protect you. You're safe."

She sniffled and reached out to him. He leaned forward and took her from me and she snuggled into his chest for a moment.

"Daddy, way wif me." she said. "Stay here."

He glanced at me, uncomfortable. "Uh-"

"Pease!" She whimpered.

"Okay. "

I moved over in the bed a little bit and Dean shifted in the bed and laid Emily down between us. She turned towards Dean and curled up against his chest. I laid on my back and tried to fall asleep.

I woke up slowly, hearing two people breathing next to me in bed. I opened my eyes. Dean was on his side, facing me. Emily had scooted down a little lower, still between us. Dean's arm was thrown across my shoulder and his leg was halfway over my leg.

I remembered waking up next to him like this, before Emily was born. He liked to spoon in bed when we were falling asleep and also when we were waking up, although a lot of the time in the morning, it usually led to something else.

Emily opened her eyes and turned her head to me. "I'm in a Mommy and Daddy samwish!" she said, and giggled. She reached up to touch Dean's face and he opened his eyes. He looked at me for a moment and I could see him remembering last night. He sat up a little and propped himself up on his elbow.

"Morning, you two." he said, his voice hoarse.

"Good mornin, Daddy!" she said to him. He reached down and tickled her stomach and she giggled.

"Are you awake? I need to make sure you're awake." He said, moving his hand up and tickling her neck. She wriggled and shrieked with laughter.

"All right, let's settle down." I sat up and stretched.

"But Mommy, Daddy _always_ does Good Mornin Tickles wif me!" Emily said.

"Oh." I said.

Dean sat up. "Does Mommy need some tickles too?"

Emily looked at me, grinning. "Yes! Yes, tickle Mommy!" She giggled again.

Dean reached for me and tried to tickle my side.

"Oh no you don't." I said, pushing his hand away. "I'm not awake enough for this. I need coffee."

"Coffee sounds good." Sam said from across the room. He was sitting up on the sofa and his hair was rumpled.

Emily sat up and laughed."Unca Sam, you wook funny!"

"Well good morning to you too." he said, smiling at her.

"That is what is known as bed head." Dean told Emily. "Sam has always had bed head in the mornings."

"Sam has awesome bed head in the mornings." I said.

Dean looked at me. "And how would you know that?" He raised one eyebrow at me.

"There... _may_ have been times that I ended up staying at his and Jess's apartment after a night of...revelry." I said. Sam grinned at me.

"Who is Jess?" Emily asked.

"Jess was a friend of mine and Uncle Sam's. " I told her. "The three of us went to school together."

"Oh." she said. "How come she's not here?"

"Um, she...she's in heaven." I said uneasily.

"Wike Aunt Cwaire?" she asked.

"Yeah." I said. I looked over at Sam. He was sitting with his head down, and his fists were clenched, one hand clasped over the other. I got up and went over to him. I put my hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." I said. He lifted his head and looked at me. Even sitting down, he was almost as tall as me.

His eyes were full of tears and pain. I leaned down and hugged him, and he put his arms around me and hugged me back. His arms were so strong. We held each other for a couple minutes, and then let go of each other.

He cleared his throat. "I'm gonna go take a shower." he said in a hoarse voice. He got up and went into the bathroom quickly.

"Dammit!" I said under my breath. I looked over at Dean. He looked upset.

"I hate when I do that." I said to him.

"He'll be okay." Dean said.

"I'm hungwy." Emily said plaintively.

"Did you bring the food in?" I asked Dean.

'No, I'll go get it." He got his car keys and left the room, locking the door. In a few minutes he was back. He brought the bag over to me and I looked through it.

"Do you want a granola bar or some Fig Newtons?" I asked her.

"Figgys!" she said, bouncing on the bed.

"Come over here and eat them so you don't get crumbs in the bed." I told her.

"When Sam gets out of the shower, I'll go and get us some coffee." Dean said.

"Why don't you go now?"

"Don't want to leave you two alone." he answered.

"Oh," I said. "Thanks." I didn't relish the idea of anyone else with all black eyes coming at us when Dean wasn't here and sam was in the shower.

"Do you want anything?" I held up a granola bar to him. He shook his head.

He sat down on the side of the bed and looked at me. "If we hit the road within the hour, we should get to Bobby's place by the afternoon."

"Are you accounting for the fact that you now have a small child in the car who will need more potty breaks than an adult, and probably need to get out and run around a bit too?'"

"Oh" he said. "No, I didn't think about that. Let me call and let them know that we may be later than I thought." He got up and walked over to his jacket. He took out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hey," he said. "Yeah, we're gonna hit the road in about an hour or so. We may not get there until late...Emily is with us and she's gonna probably need some bathroom breaks. Yeah, they agreed to come." He glanced over at me. "She's okay with it. Yeah. Okay, we'll see you. Bye." He hung up and put the phone down on the table.

Sam came out of the bathroom. "Anyone else like to shower?"

I stood up. "Actually, would you mind if I took a quick one? I didn't get a chance to yesterday, and I can still smell the grease in my hair."

"Okay." Dean said to me. "What size coffee do you want, large?"

"You know it!" I told him.

"Daddy, bwing me a doughnut!" Emily said.

"We'll see." Dean said, looking at me and raising his eyebrows.

"Are we going to go eat, or are we doing a quick-breakfast kind of thing?" I asked.

"Probably quick would be better." Sam said.

"All right." I said to Emily. "You can have a doughnut if your Dad wants to get you one, but I want you to eat some fruit or an egg too. See if you can get her a breakfast sandwich without cheese." I told Dean.

"Okay. What do you want?"

"Egg and sausage biscuit, no cheese. Or a bagel with cream cheese." I walked over to my suitcase and took out clean clothes.

"Emily, I want you to get dressed while I'm taking a shower." I got out clothes for her and carried them over to the bed and set them down. "Uncle Sam can help you if you need it, right Uncle Sam? " I looked at him.

He looked uncertain. "Uhh, sure, I guess."

"Come on, it's helping a 4 year old get dressed. The clothing is not as complicated as baby clothes!"

When Emily was a toddler, she had come back to me a few times with clothing on backwards. Both Sam and Dean swore that hey couldn't figure out some of her clothes because the buttons we in the wrong place ("I thought the buttons were _supposed_ to be in the _front!"_ Dean had said) or there were no tags or whatever.

"Okay. Let me get dressed first, before you shower." Dean went into his duffel and pulled out some clothes. He went into the bathroom for a few minutes.

I went in after he came out, and got in the shower. It felt good to wash all the grease from the diner away. Even though I'm a waitress, I still end up smelling like the fryer, because when you go in the back, the grease just permeates the air. I usually tried to shower when ever I got home from work.

When I came out of the bathroom, Dean had just come back and was distributing the food. He looked at me and held something up that was wrapped in wax paper. "Bagel with cream cheese- toasted, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Dean." I walked over to him and took it from him. His eyes flicked down to my hand as I took it from him and then he stared for a moment. He reached out and took my arm, stretching it out and turning it. I looked down.

There was an ugly bruise on my upper arm just above the elbow, and you could clearly see the shapes of fingers, from when Roger had grabbed me last night. I looked up at Dean. He let go of my arm.

He pressed his lips together for a moment and looked at me, his face hard.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, in the deep voice he used when he was serious and about to be pissed off.

"Tell you what?"

"That he was- that that was happening!" He gestured at my arm.

"What, so you could swoop in on your horse and save me? You come around to visit your daughter every couple months and that's all. I didn't want to bother you with anything else."

"God you're stubborn!" He said, and his voice was raised a little bit.

"Let's be real here, Dean. You're here for her, not me, and that's always been the way it is." I pointed at Emily, who was sitting, frozen still, in her chair. She looked scared. "I know that, and I'm fine with it. My problems are mine." I said.

Sam cleared his throat. "But , uh, this problem wasn't just yours. Emily saw him hit you. It's a proven fact that seeing domestic abuse can negatively affect kids. Didn't you think you should try and get help, if not for your sake, then for hers?" Sam looked at me, and I could see on his face that he was scared that what he was saying would cause a rift between us.

"I tried, Sam. I ended it as soon as I could!" I felt tears threatening. " _You_ know why I have trouble asking for help! It's just not in me!"

"I thought you were going to work on that." he said quietly. "After all those talks we had-"

"Yeah, well, life got in the way!" I snapped. Remembering the times that he and I had sat up late and talked about our pasts, our childhoods, and how he was the first person who had really understood me and what I went through, brought the tears to the surface.

"Dammit-" I started for the door and stepped outside.

I heard Emily call, "Mommy-"

The door opened and Sam came out. I wiped my face off hurriedly.

"Not a good idea for you to be out here alone right now, what with demons looking for you." he said. He walked over to me and put his arms around me. For the second time in two days, I cried into the flannel shirt of a Winchester. He held me tightly and his hand stroked my back. When I started to calm down, he let me go and we pulled back from each other.

"You were such a good friend to me, Sam." I said. "Where did that go?"

"Life got in the way." he said. He wiped a tear off my cheek. "Let's make sure it doesn't happen again, huh? Especially now that I'm related to you."

Okay, Unca Sam." I said, and laughed. He smiled at me and we went back inside.

Dean was holding Emily and pacing. She was sobbing. He turned on me, his face angry.

"Don't do that again!" he snapped.

"What do you mean?" I was surprised at his anger.

"Walk out the door without telling your daughter what you're doing! She thought you were leaving her!" His voice was stern and angry.

I walked over to them. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry-" I said to her.

Dean turned away. "No, she's still too upset. Go drink some coffee."

He walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, letting go of her a little and turning her face up to his. I heard him talking quietly to her for a couple of minutes. I sat down and took a sip of my coffee. Once again I had lost my appetitie.

After a couple minutes I heard Emily say, "I want Mommy." Dean stood up and carried her over to me. He stood there looking down at me and I could tell he was still upset.

"Em, I'm sorry I left like that. I was upset and not thinking." I looked at Emily. "I don't like to cry in front of people, so I was trying to hide. I would never, ever leave you, baby." I got tears in my eyes. She leaned down and I took her and grabbed her tightly. We held each other and cried a little bit.

I wiped her face off with a napkin and she sat in my lap and ate her food. Dean picked up his coffee cup and walked over to the sofa and sat down. For several minutes we were quiet as we ate and drank our coffee.


	4. Chapter 4

Dean cleared his throat. "All right, we about ready?" he asked.

"I want you to go potty, Em." I said, putting her down on the floor. She walked over to the bathroom and closed the door. Dean stood up and walked over to me.

"I'm sorry I got angry with you." he said stiffly.  
"It's all right." I said. "I was in the wrong, I shouldn't have left like that."

Dean looked at me, a smile playing on his lips. "Wow, Becka Fraser admitting she was wrong!" he said. "Call the newspapers!"

I gathered up our trash and stood up. "Don't push your luck, smart aleck." I said. He grinned at me.

"Mommy, I need help!" Emily called. I opened the door to the bathroom.

"I can't weach the sink!" she said. I picked her up so she could wash her hands. I looked at her shirt as she leaned over. Then I called out of the bathroom, "Sam, her shirt's on backwards!"

I heard him laugh. "That was all her, not me. I helped her put her pants on, and I made sure they were on right."

"Em, your shirt is on backwards." I told her, putting her down on the floor.

"I don't cawe!" She chirped.

"Okay, suit yourself." I said. "Get your blanky and bear."

I made sure our clothes were packed up and threw away the rest of the trash that had accumulated. In a few minutes we were all safely in the car and Dean was pulling out onto the road.

"I went to the store and I bought an apple, a banana, a coat, a drum, and..." I thought for a moment. "An egg."

Emily giggled. "Me next!"

"Your letter is F. What starts with F?" I asked.

"Umm...fwowers." she said.

"Okay, good. Can you remember everything?"

"Umm, I wented to the stowe and I buyed a apple, a 'nana, a coat, a dwum, an', an'... a egg... an' fwowers. Your turn, Unca Sam!"

"Hmm..." He turned toward us. "I went to the store, and I bought an apple, a banana, a coat, a drum, an egg, flowers, and...a gorilla."

"Unca Sam, you siwwy!" Emily laughed again, and crossed her legs. She put her hands in between her thighs.

"Emily, do you need to go potty?" I asked her quietly.

"Yeah" she whispered. "But I don't wanna stop pwaying our game!"

I leaned forward. "Dean, we need a potty break." I told him.

"All right." he said. "There's some restaurants and stuff in about 3 miles." He looked in the rear view mirror. "Can you hold it for a little bit longer, Em?' he asked her.

"Yes, Daddy." she said.

In a short while Dean pulled into a gas station. I took Emily to the bathroom and both of us used the facilities. When we came out, Sam was standing by the car. "You need anything?' he asked.

"No thanks, I'm good." I said. He opened the door to the driver's side and got in.

Dean came out of the conveniece store with a bag. Emily and I got in the back and I buckled her into her car seat.

Dean turned around and reached into the bag. He handed something to me. "I got Emily some apple juice, and I got you an orange soda." He looked at me. "You still like that?

I shrugged. "Sure, I guess." I said. "Thanks." I didn't want to appear ungrateful.

Dean held something out to Emily, but looked at me.

"Only if it's okay with your mom." It was a bag of gummy bears.

"Not right now, Emily." I said.

"Mommy, peeeease!" she begged, holding her hands out for the bag.

"No, not while we're going to be cooped up in the car." I looked at Dean angrily. "Why did you have to buy her candy?" I snapped.

"I always get her candy when I have her." he said defensively.

"Well that's just _great."_ I said sarcastically. "How about _you_ deal with her when the sugar rush hits, and then _you_ can pay the dentist bills down the road!"

"Calm down, Becka!" Dean snapped. "I didn't just give it to her, I said it was up to you!"

"Yes, but you made me the bad guy!" I glared at him. "Put it away!"

"Mommy, can I jus' has a couple?" Emily asked in a small voice.

"I said _no_ , Emily." I told her sternly. "You can have some after lunch."

"I don't wanna wait!" she whined, kicking her feet against her car seat.

"That's enough." I told her.

"You mean!" She frowned at me.

"Yes, I am." I retorted, and I turned towards the window.

"Listen to your Mom, Em." Dean said quietly.

We drove in tense silence for several minutes, then Sam asked, "How about some music?'

"Can we wissen to Yewwow Submawine?" Emily asked.

"Sure. Dean, can you find it?" Sam asked, looking at his brother.

Dean leaned down, sorting through the CDs in the front seat, and slid the CD into the CD player.

A moment later the sound of the Beatles filled the car. No one talked as we listened to the music.

After Yellow Submarine was over, Dean put in Led Zeppelin 4. "Goin' to California" had just started when Emily leaned forward.

"I'm hungwy!" she announced.

"Are we able to stop soon?" Dean looked at Sam.

"We're not close to anywhere right now, but I'll stop as soon as we can." Sam said. "I think we'll be to the next town in about 15 or 20 miles."

I leaned down and picked a bag up off the floor. "How about a snack, Emily?" I asked. "Granola bars, Goldfish crackers, Fig Newtons, or raisins."

"Gummy bears?" she asked hopefully.

"No." I said. "What did I say earlier?"

"Afta wunch."

"That's right. Pick something that I offered."

"Goldfiss." she said. I pulled a small bag out and opened it, then handed it to her.

"Fank you." she said.

I leaned forward. "Either of you want anything?'

"I'll have some raisins." Sam said, reaching his hand back. I handed him a box and he laughed.

"What?' I asked.

"These boxes are so...small." He held up his hand, and in his huge palm, the box did look tiny.

"Here." I handed him another one.

"Sam the sasquatch needs large portions." Dean said.

"What's a sas- sas-" Emily asked.

"It's a big creature like a gorilla that walks upright." Dean turned to Emily. "Sam is like a sasquatch 'cause he's so tall."

"That's not nice, Daddy." Emily said. "Unca Sam isn't a sas-kots!"

"You tell him, Ems!" Sam laughed.

"I'm just teasing him, Emily." Dean said.

"But you might huwt his feewings." Emily said. "Eveyone hasta be nice to each ovver."

Dean sighed and looked at Sam. "Okay little brother, I'm sorry."

Emily laughed. "Unca Sam's not widdle!"

"I meant he's my younger brother. People say little when they mean younger sometimes." Dean explained to her.

She frowned. "I don't get it."

"You can say that someone is your younger brother or your little brother."

"But Unca Sam isn't widdle."

"I know, but he's still younger than me."

"He is?" Emily was still frowning.

"Yes, how tall someone is has nothing to do with their age." Dean said patiently. "I'm four years older than Uncle Sam."

"Emily, I'm older than Sam, and I'm shorter than him." I said.

She looked at me. "You are?"

"Yes, I'm two years older than him."

"But you a small pewson!" she said.

Sam and Dean both laughed.

"That has nothing to do with age, like your Dad said." I told her.

She shook her head. "I don't get it. Can we wissen to AC/ DC now?"

Dean laughed again. "That's my girl!" he said.

I could tell during the meal that Emily was getting tired. We had stopped at a roadside restaurant that was next to a large rest stop. There was a picnic area for families and a large playground as well. We walked over to the playground and Emily immediately ran over to the swings.

"Push me, Daddy!" she called. Dean walked over and stood in front of her, pushing her feet when she straightened her legs out. He would reach out and tickle her when she swung towards him and she would giggle wildly.

Sam and I sat on a nearby bench together and watched them.

"He's really good with her." Sam remarked.

"He is." I agreed.

"I honestly never thought I would see the day when Dean had a kid, but...he's risen to the challenge remarkably well." Sam looked at me. "I'm glad that you let him be a part of her life, Becka. He's needed this."

"You think so?"

"Yes, he's spent all his life looking after me, or thinking that he has to. And now he's got someone who really needs to be looked after, and he's doing it. It's given him a sense of purpose that he's never had before."

"He better not screw it up." I muttered.

"Hey now!" Sam admonished. "Give him a little credit, would you? He's trying really hard, and like I said, he's risen to the challenge. Plus, he's got people in his life who will kick his ass if he starts messing up. Besides you, obviously."

"Like who?" I asked, curious.

"Well, I'm not going to stand around and let him mess things up. And I think our Dad and Bobby wouldn't hesitate to call him on something either."

I was getting more and more curious about these two men, but before I could ask anything, we heard a loud howl.

Dean had taken Emily over to the monkey bars and slides, and she had been climbing, and then fallen and scraped her arm on one of the pieces of plastic equipment. Sam and I stood up and hurried over and Dean met us in the middle of the playground with Emily in his arms.

"Let's go back to the car and I'll get out the med kit." Sam said.

Emily wailed as Dean carried her over. I walked next to them. "Emily, you want me to carry you?" I asked.

"Noo!" she howled. "Want Daddy!"

I stood back and watched as Dean opened the back door of the car and sat down with Emily in his lap. Sam knelt down in front of her and them gently cleaned the scrape, put some antibiotic ointment on it and then placed a band-aid on it. He leaned down and kissed her elbow, then said, "All better now?"

"Fank you Unca Sam." she sniffled.

She leaned over to hug him, then straightened up and turned to Dean, hugging him around the neck. He hugged her tightly, and then said, "We should get back on the road, Em."

He stood up and I said, "Emily, let's take one more potty break, okay?"

I took her from Dean and carried her to the bathroom. I could tell she was tired. Once we were back and I had her buckled into her car seat, I leaned forward.

"Thanks for taking such good care of her, guys." I said warmly.

"You're welcome, Bex." Sam said, turning back to me.

Dean was behind the wheel again and he glanced back at me in the rear view mirror. "Welcome, ma'am." he said, and pretended to tip a hat.

Shortly after we got back onto the highway, Emily fell asleep.

Dean turned off of the highway onto a dirt road. There was a huge sign that said, "Singer Salvage", with all kinds of car parts and hubcaps decorating it. He slowed the car down as we drove down the narrow driveway. I had had no idea what a salvage yard was, but now I was getting it. Car, trucks, and other vehicles of all shapes ans sizes were lined up in rows and piled on top of each other. It was like a used car lot, except that most of the cars were all beat up or falling apart. And the rows went on for what seemed like miles.

"Uh, your friend lives here?" I asked.

"Yeah, isn't it great?" Dean replied with a bright smile."He's always got just what I need to fix Baby."

"Yeah, uh, great." I said sarcastically. "You said he's a family friend?"

"Yep, he's a hunter too. Dean and I stayed with him quite a few times when we were kids, too, so this is kindof like our second home." Sam turned back to look at me.

"Well, not really, since we didn't have a first home..." Dean said. "Our home away from home?"

Once again I was reminded of just how different- and strange- Dean and Sam's upbringing had been. Being dragged all over the country by their father who was obsessed with finding and killing supernatural creatures, never having a real home and growing up in hotels, and then learning to do the same thing. And here we were, about to meet the two men who had raised them up to be in this life, and we were going to be staying with them for a while. And they had already been with my daughter for a week without my knowledge! I was starting to feel nervous and worried.

Dean pulled the car up to an open area in front of a large house with an open porch. There were hubcaps decorating the walls of the house. The door opened and two men walked down the stairs and stood at the bottom, watching us. One had a baseball cap on and the other was taller and had dark hair and a dark salt-and-pepper beard.

Dean parked the car and turned it off, and he and Sam opened their doors and got out.

"Wake up, Emily." I said quietly, patting her arm. She opened her eyes and looked at me, blinking a few times.

Dean opened up the back door on Emily's side.

"We're here, Em!" he said. She turned her head and looked up at him with a smile.

He got Emily out of her car seat and stood her on the ground. I got out of the other side and walked around the car to her, intending on picking her up.

As I reached Emily, she looked over and saw the men standing at the bottom of the stairs. A smile spread across her face and then she exclaimed, "Poppa John!" and ran towards them, her arms outstretched. The taller man crouched down and opened his arms to her, smiling widely.

She barrelled into his arms and he picked her up and stood.

"Hi there, sweetheart!" he said, smiling at her. She reached up and tickled his beard with her fingers and he chuckled.

"What am I, chopped liver over here?" said the man wearing the baseball cap.

Emily smiled at him. "Hi Unca Bobby." she said shyly.

"Hey, lil' miss." he said.

"Well." Sam said. "Dad, Bobby, this is Becka Fraser, Emily's Mom."

I stepped forward and held out my hand. "Nice to meet you." I said, shaking Bobby's proffered hand.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am." he said gravely.

"John Winchester." said the man holding my daughter. He offered his hand and I shook it. "Nice to meet you. Heard a lot about you from this one." He tickled Emily's neck briefly and she giggled.

"We dwived for hours an hours to get here, Poppa John!" she told him. "We're havin' anovver bacation wif you!"

"I know." he said. "And this time, your Mom is here too."

"It's gonna be fun!" Emily bounced in his arms.

"Yeah, fun." Dean said, coming to stand beside me.

"Let's get your bags inside." Bobby said after a minute. Dean and Sam walked around to the trunk and I leaned into the back door to get out the bag of snacks and Emily's backpack and other stuff.

I followed Bobby and John into the house- the door led into a kitchen- and John set Emily down on the floor.

"Well, it ain't much, but it's home." Bobby said.

"Thank you for opening your home to us, Mr. Singer." I said, feeling uncomfortable.

He waved his hand. "Ain't nothin'- family's always welcome. And any chance to see the rugrat is good."

Emily giggled. "I'm not a wugwat, Unca Bobby!" she said.

"Well, I can't call ya idjit, that's reserved for your Dad and Uncle. I gotta call ya something!" He smiled down at her and tweaked her nose.

"Let me show you the bedrooms upstairs." Dean said to me. I followed him up a creaky wooden staircase. He glanced back at me. "Later I can show you which creaky parts to avoid on the steps."

"Huh?" I asked, confused. We reached the top of the stairs.

"Good to know when you're a teenage boy who wants to sneak out to meet some friends." he said, winking at me.

"Oh." I said. "I see. You were _that_ kind of kid."

"For a little while." he said, leading me down a hall.

"This room is the only one open right now, my dad took the one with the double, although I could ask him to switch..." he said, opening a door. It was a small bedroom with a single bed.

"Em and I can share." I said. "We've done it before."

"I'd offer our room, but that means you'd have to share with either Sam or me."

"This is fine, really." I told him.

" If it doesn't work out, I'm sure Bobby's got a cot or something."

"It's okay, Dean, relax!" I looked at him and smiled.

"Okay." he said. "I just want you to be happy."

"Like I said, it's fine!"

He came into the room and put our bags down. "All right, I'll let you get settled." he said. He left the room, and I looked around at the small bedroom. The twin bed had a quilt that looked hand made on it, and the wooden bed frame and matching bureau looked old and battered, but it seemd comfortable and worn in, not shabby. I didn't think I'd mind being here for a while.


End file.
